Darryl Roberts, CB

[Jet_Engine1]

Don't know if this has been posted, but just wanted to post an article from B/R (yeah, I know, they all suck...lol) about our possible starting CB opposite Tru (if he ever shows) and the perception of him when he was originally drafted by NE. 

 

The kid has the potential to be very good, imo. And with the scheme and coaching hell get under GW and staff, might be a breakout guy this year....and no, I do not know how to post articles, just cut and paste links. Maybe @Patriot Killa could send me a tutorial...

 

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2451606-darryl-roberts-to-new-england-patriots-full-draft-pick-breakdown.amp.html

[MindOverMatter]

Roberts played well at Cornerback until Bowles decided to put him at safety when Maye went down. He has length and speed, pretty sure Gregg Williams can work with that

[Patriot Killa]

19 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

Maybe @Patriot Killa could send me a tutorial...

 

Damn, I forgot how to as soon as you asked...

[jetstream23]

 

All that matters is that we'll have Gregg Williams working with our #2 CB.

 

 

[Jet_Engine1]

Just now, jetstream23 said:

 

All that matters is that we'll have Gregg Williams working with our #2 CB.

 

 

I almost passed out laughing at that scene in the theatre back in '97... lol. Good times. 

[Patriot Killa]

 

Headed into the 2015 NFL draft, cornerback looked like a position the New England Patriots could address as high as the first round. Even when the value didn't fall right in the early rounds, most figured the Pats would take a flier at some point early in Day 3.

However, Bill Belichick and Co. bypassed the position entirely until the 247th overall pick, when they nabbed Marshall's Darryl Roberts.  For the Patriots, Roberts could be worth the wait. I've seen Marshall as one of the most underrated cornerback prospects in this draft, and mocked him to New England in my final Day 3 projections this morning.

So what is it about Roberts that could make him the next seventh-round steal in Foxborough? Let's take a look at how Roberts could defy the odds and carve out a considerable role in the secondary.

What Roberts Brings

At 6'0" and 182 pounds, Roberts is a bit lean to play the outside cornerback spot at the pro level, despite adequate height. Nevertheless, few corners are more athletic, sustaining a theme in the Patriots' late-round picks this year. Though he was not invited to the scouting combine, Roberts' pro day provided some eye-opening testing numbers:

For reference, that three-cone time would have been second-best among all corners in Indianapolis, while his short shuttle time would have topped the position. Pro Football Focus, relying on their in-house grading system rather than mainstream scouting consensus, actually suggested that the Patriots should draft Roberts in the second round. In a separate piece, PFF's Gordon McGuinnesshighlighted Roberts as one of the position's top sleepers:

If you listened to our Podcast breaking down the cornerback class, you’ll know that this is a guy that Sam Monson really likes. It’s easy to see why too, with Roberts showing an ability to handle anything the coaches asked of him. On top of that he showed great balance and reactions, reading moves by wide receivers very quickly.

If there is a concern here, it would be that I would like to see him attack the ball more on deep passes, instead of waiting for the receiver come down with the ball before trying to rip it free. He’ll see plenty of physical wide receivers on Sundays in the NFL, so he’ll need to be ready to adapt his game to handle that.

McGuinness also noted how Roberts conceded a paltry 0.88 yards per coverage snap, one of the 20 best marks among FBS corners. With excellent fluidity and long arms, Roberts is able to shut down many short and intermediate routes using his rare combination of speed and length.

Roberts probably isn't a fit outside—his biggest weakness is his tendency to panic downfield and get handsy, which will lead to plenty of penalties in the pros if he does not improve that technique. Still, with the ability to play press coverage, Roberts could allow the Pats to preserve their scheme from last year.

Obviously, a single seventh-round pick does not tip what kind of coverage scheme the Pats will utilize next season. But given Roberts' strength in press, it seems as though Belichick would like to preserve some of the same principles that the secondary used with great success in 2014. Roberts isn't the centerpiece of that decision, but pre-draft metrics suggest that he holds significantly higher upside than the average Round 7 flier:

Roberts will probably challenge Kyle Arrington and possibly Robert McClain in the slot. Those unspectacular veterans are both better suited for off coverage, so while Roberts could probably fit in that kind of scheme with his quickness, it will be interesting to see if the coaching staff lets him be as physical as the Marshall staff did.

In terms of skill set, Roberts probably aligns closer to the Bradley Fletcher-Malcolm Butler crowd, which would prefer to play press, than the Arrington-Logan Ryan bunch, which would indicate zone. This isn't necessarily an either-or choice—the Patriots will obviously play both in 2015—but if he does succeed, Roberts' skill set would be maximized in a man coverage scheme that allows him to smother smaller slot receivers.

One other avenue onto the roster: Roberts is an above-average special teams player and has the speed to contribute in coverage teams there. He's now the third player who should contribute immediately in the third phase (along with Matthew Hull and Joe Cardona), an indication that Belichick might be tiring of some of the younger players on the roster who have yet to break through beyond special teams.

Bottom Line

Most Patriots fans will not be happy that the team invested just one seventh-round pick in the cornerback spot. Now that free agency and the draft have both passed, we can definitively say that the defensive backs will face an uphill battle to succeed in 2015.

The Pats do have plenty of quantity at the position, though it's entirely comprised of replacement-level veterans (Fletcher, Arrington, McClain) or unproven youngsters (Butler, Ryan, Alfonzo Dennard). Roberts adds more strength in numbers there, which should make for one of the livelier training camp competitions this summer.

There should be plenty of enthusiasm surrounding Roberts, as he has a legitimate chance to join New England's list of seventh-round steals. Between David Givens, Julian Edelman and Matt Cassel, the Pats have had plenty of success generating huge returns on tiny investments. It's obviously too soon to add Roberts to that list, but he's a big-time sleeper to watch at New England's weakest defensive position.

[Rsherman28]

Nice post, this article is a good read. I think the concerns coming out of college are accurate as well as his strengths. 

Roberts has great press coverage skills and great speed off the ball. Covering slants and short routes underneath will be easily defended. His 4.3 speed can make up for poor positioning in tackling. He will be a fit for Gregg Williams defense.

Robert's concerns on attacking the ball on deep balls, he tends to wait for the receiver to come down with it and attack, rather then jumping the ball. They also state he has a tendency to get handsy down field. 

I think we saw some of these weakness last year with bad coaching scheme's under Bowles. Consistently Bowles would deploy safties in blitz and slot coverage and leave outside defenders in man coverage on deep balls. With out any pass rush, a lot of Roberts bad tendencies start to show. 

58% of Greg Williams defensive schemes in 2018 were 5 DB packages. We will see a lot more of Marcus May sitting on top helping Roberts or Tru with outside coverage while Poole/Adams cover and blitz out of the slot. 

[jetstream23]

Remind me why Bill Belichick would let such a great player go?  He's not one to let good quality, CHEAP players exit.  He usually prefers to let the high-priced, highly drafted guys walk.

[Bruce Harper]

I almost passed out laughing at that scene in the theatre back in '97... lol. Good times. 

Lol. “You tell that turd who’s boss!”


Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

[Rsherman28]

2 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

Remind me why Bill Belichick would let such a great player go?  He's not one to let good quality, CHEAP players exit.  He usually prefers to let the high-priced, highly drafted guys walk.

He was injured in there last  preseason game. Spent the season on IR, never played for them 

[pdxgreen]

Not concerned so much with Roberts.  Just what happens if he goes down.

[Jet_Engine1]

Parry Nickerson, step right up! LOL

 

Nickerson made his NFL debut on September 10, 2018 in a 48-17 win against the Detroit Lions, recording one tackle and receiving a taunting penalty on his first career play on defense

I bet GW loves him....

[Rsherman28]

6 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

Parry Nickerson, step right up! LOL

 

 

 

I bet GW loves him....

He had a good game in limited time I thought for the Detroit game. He almost had a pick in the end zone on a super athletic play. Taunting penalties are such a bad part of the NFL, if you make a great play of defense, you and your teammates should be able to say anything lol 

 

[Joe W. Namath]

You cant have pro bowlers at every position.  Roberts is fine as cb2.  Williams needs to coach these guys up.

For the forseeable future, all resources will be used to build the offense.  

[flgreen]

Roberts and "Bones" Jones are the future.  

[Rsherman28]

10 minutes ago, Joe W. Namath said:

You cant have pro bowlers at every position.  Roberts is fine as cb2.  Williams needs to coach these guys up.

For the forseeable future, all resources will be used to build the offense.  

I have always liked our DB coach Dennard Wilson. I thought it was a good idea retaining him to pair with Gregg Williams. 

GW has a good rep with developing corners.  

If we can be dominant against the run this year like I am expecting, with the new additions of CJ Mosley to compare with probably the best run defensive safety, Jamal Adams we are gonna be better in the passing game. 

A good way to help this mediocre pass rush and average corners, can be to  force a lot of long third downs. 

[flgreen]

29 minutes ago, pdxgreen said:

Not concerned so much with Roberts.  Just what happens if he goes down.

Bones Jones

[Thai Jet]

1 hour ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

Don't know if this has been posted, but just wanted to post an article from B/R (yeah, I know, they all suck...lol) about our possible starting CB opposite Tru (if he ever shows) and the perception of him when he was originally drafted by NE. 

 

The kid has the potential to be very good, imo. And with the scheme and coaching hell get under GW and staff, might be a breakout guy this year....and no, I do not know how to post articles, just cut and paste links. Maybe @Patriot Killa could send me a tutorial...

 

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2451606-darryl-roberts-to-new-england-patriots-full-draft-pick-breakdown.amp.html

I'm very excited to see what Greg Williams does with him and how he'll deploy him.

[Rsherman28]

38 minutes ago, pdxgreen said:

Not concerned so much with Roberts.  Just what happens if he goes down.

I am hoping we don't bring back Mo Claiborne. I feel with him still out there in FA and our lack of depth. I could see right before camp starts, us bringing him in for a depth move to compete with D.Jones for the CB3 spot. 

Felt like he was to penalty prone over the last 2 years under Bowles. The worst defensive holding calls at some of the worst times last year. 

[Jetster]

We're going to find out Bones Jones & Parry Nickerson can play. Bowles was a LOUSY teacher, he had the idea in his head of how he wants a secondary to play but had no idea how to translate it to the players. 

Team was always out of sync. A late blitz from 10 yards out? Blitzing LB but no one covers the RB in the flat, cover zero blitz with 5 yard cushions. Other than McCourty & Gilmore, the Patriots are a group of Ho hummers but they do a great job of sealing lanes, protecting the edge, making switches on Blitzes.

And they are especially good in the Redzone. That's the important stat in this day & age of NFL football, teams are gonna move the ball between the 20s.

[jetstream23]

3 minutes ago, Rsherman28 said:

I am hoping we don't bring back Mo Claiborne. I feel with him still out there in FA and our lack of depth. I could see right before camp starts, us bringing him in for a depth move to compete with D.Jones for the CB3 spot. 

Felt like he was to penalty prone over the last 2 years under Bowles. The worst defensive holding calls at some of the worst times last year. 

But wouldn't it be great if we had someone competing with Jones for that CB3 spot?  I agree that it would be best to never have to see Mo back here, but I'd have no problem if we brought him in for depth.  It shouldn't be a concern if Jones outplays him.  I'd expect us to keep at least 6 CBs.

CB1 - T. Johnson

CB2 - D. Roberts

CB3 - D. Jones

CB4 - M. Claiborne

Slot - Poole

Slot - Nickerson

[#27TheDominator]

For what it is worth, Roberts was the 2nd best athlete at CB in that class. He fell only behind Byron Jones who had the record 12'+ broad jump and was one of the few true 3 sigma guys.  Roberts was at 2.8.  https://3sigmaathlete.com/archive/2015s/cb/

PFF loved him too.  They had him as one of their top sleepers in the class.

Quote

 

 Darryl Roberts, Marshall

If you listened to our Podcast breaking down the cornerback class, you’ll know that this is a guy that Sam Monson really likes. It’s easy to see why too, with Roberts showing an ability to handle anything the coaches asked of him. On top of that he showed great balance and reactions, reading moves by wide receivers very quickly.

If there is a concern here, it would be that I would like to see him attack the ball more on deep passes, instead of waiting for the receiver come down with the ball before trying to rip it free. He’ll see plenty of physical wide receivers on Sundays in the NFL, so he’ll need to be ready to adapt his game to handle that.

Signature Stat: Allowed 0.88 Yards Per Coverage Snap.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/cff-overview-cb-sleepers

After the draft, PFF had him as one of the biggest steals of the draft.

Quote

4. Darryl Roberts, CB, Marshall
#247 Overall to New England

A lot of times productive college players fall in the draft due to poor measurable that suggest they won’t translate to the NFL. That wasn’t the case for Roberts whose pro day was as impressive as any of the top corners in this class. Usually that means the tape wasn’t all that impressive, but Roberts had the third best grade of any corner outside of the Power 5.

The Marshall corner only had one interception on the season, but he broke up seven additional passes and had a 67.1 quarterback rating against. We thought he could go as early as the second round given his abilities. Roberts may not be the most talented player on this list, but to nab him in the seventh round is absurd.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/10-biggest-draft-steals

FWIW, the 3 ahead of him were Grady Jarrett, Trey Flowers and Randy Gregory. Pretty solid group. 

A guy on NFL.com also had Roberts as a big-time sleeper. 

Quote

Biggest sleeper: Marshall's Darryl Roberts. Roberts (6-0, 182) wasn't invited to the combine, but his size and athleticism (4.36 in the 40 and a 39-inch vertical jump at Marshall's pro day) -- not to mention his solid play at Marshall -- mean he likely will be a late-round pick. Roberts, who was a two-year starter for the Thundering Herd, led Conference USA with 17 pass breakups last season, and he was fifth on the team with 75 tackles, which is a testament to his willingness to provide run support. He could stand to add some bulk, but his speed and height are impressive.

I don't know how much credence to give nfl.com since it was written by this guy:   but he is the college football staff editor at the Athletic now, so maybe he is okay.  Reminds me of Bob Huggins. 

[Rsherman28]

10 minutes ago, Jetster said:

We're going to find out Bones Jones & Parry Nickerson can play. Bowles was a LOUSY teacher, he had the idea in his head of how he wants a secondary to play but had no idea how to translate it to the players. 

Team was always out of sync. A late blitz from 10 yards out? Blitzing LB but no one covers the RB in the flat, cover zero blitz with 5 yard cushions. Other than McCourty & Gilmore, the Patriots are a group of Ho hummers but they do a great job of sealing lanes, protecting the edge, making switches on Blitzes.

And they are especially good in the Redzone. That's the important stat in this day & age of NFL football, teams are gonna move the ball between the 20s.

I am not sure how much you can look at red zone defense to total defense. The jets gave up a ton of big play touchdowns were teams didn't even have to get to our red zone. 

However, last year we were actually good at keeping our opponents out of the end zone, once they get to the red zone. In 2018, The Jets ranked 9th in stopping teams in the red zone. The patriots ranked 24th. 

[#27TheDominator]

14 minutes ago, Jetster said:

We're going to find out Bones Jones & Parry Nickerson can play. Bowles was a LOUSY teacher, he had the idea in his head of how he wants a secondary to play but had no idea how to translate it to the players. 

Team was always out of sync. A late blitz from 10 yards out? Blitzing LB but no one covers the RB in the flat, cover zero blitz with 5 yard cushions. Other than McCourty & Gilmore, the Patriots are a group of Ho hummers but they do a great job of sealing lanes, protecting the edge, making switches on Blitzes.

And they are especially good in the Redzone. That's the important stat in this day & age of NFL football, teams are gonna move the ball between the 20s.

Bowles seemed to do pretty well with that in Arizona.  I am hopeful that Jones and Nickerson can play, but I doubt it.  I like them because they can both run, but Jones is a 3rd year vet that is still crazy raw and Nickerson is one of the least long guys in the league. 

[Rsherman28]

6 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

But wouldn't it be great if we had someone competing with Jones for that CB3 spot?  I agree that it would be best to never have to see Mo back here, but I'd have no problem if we brought him in for depth.  It shouldn't be a concern if Jones outplays him.  I'd expect us to keep at least 6 CBs.

CB1 - T. Johnson

CB2 - D. Roberts

CB3 - D. Jones

CB4 - M. Claiborne

Slot - Poole

Slot - Nickerson

You are right, if it is a depth move and Jones gets a fair shot to compete, then it shouldn't be a problem. 

I am also hoping what ever GM we bring in, makes one big splash in the trade market before the season starts. The need on OL/CB should prompt us to at least see whats out there 

[Rsherman28]

2 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

Bowles seemed to do pretty well with that in Arizona.  I am hopeful that Jones and Nickerson can play, but I doubt it.  I like them because they can both run, but Jones is a 3rd year vet that is still crazy raw and Nickerson is one of the least long guys in the league. 

I just feel like Jones got such a sh*tty hand last year.

We had a horrible year, we were out of it by week 8, yet Bowles doesn't dress this kid until week 17.

Not only that, he throws him in against the patriots on the road. With both Mo and Tru being out. The number 1 corner was Skrine, Jones, and Nickerson. 

Jones still plays solid 

 

[#27TheDominator]

7 minutes ago, Rsherman28 said:

I just feel like Jones got such a sh*tty hand last year.

We had a horrible year, we were out of it by week 8, yet Bowles doesn't dress this kid until week 17.

Not only that, he throws him in against the patriots on the road. With both Mo and Tru being out. The number 1 corner was Skrine, Jones, and Nickerson. 

Jones still plays solid 

 

I am mostly concerned that a kid that long and fast can't get any run on special teams.  If he had "it" he would be active every week even if they had no use for him at CB. 

[Jetster]

25 minutes ago, Rsherman28 said:

I am not sure how much you can look at red zone defense to total defense. The jets gave up a ton of big play touchdowns were teams didn't even have to get to our red zone. 

However, last year we were actually good at keeping our opponents out of the end zone, once they get to the red zone. In 2018, The Jets ranked 9th in stopping teams in the red zone. The patriots ranked 24th. 

I believe the Jets gave up the most plays over 20 yards & plays over 40 yards last year. The Patriots gave up 20.4 points per game (6th overall), the Jets 27.6 (29th). This from a team, Head Coach & GM that spent huge money in free agency on defense & picked defensive players with every 1st round pick until they traded up for Darnold. 

[Apache 51]

Williams and co. will coach these guys up or out.

[32EBoozer]

1 hour ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

I almost passed out laughing at that scene in the theatre back in '97... lol. Good times. 

Today I happened upon Steve Martin SNL video of "King Tut"! Man that guy was hilarious back in the day with Belushi and Akroyd.

 

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/king-tut/3505914

[Rsherman28]

12 minutes ago, Jetster said:

I believe the Jets gave up the most plays over 20 yards & plays over 40 yards last year. The Patriots gave up 20.4 points per game (6th overall), the Jets 27.6 (29th). This from a team, Head Coach & GM that spent huge money in free agency on defense & picked defensive players with every 1st round pick until they traded up for Darnold. 

I agree with you there defense was way better last year then us.

 

56 minutes ago, Jetster said:

We're going to find out Bones Jones & Parry Nickerson can play. Bowles was a LOUSY teacher, he had the idea in his head of how he wants a secondary to play but had no idea how to translate it to the players. 

Team was always out of sync. A late blitz from 10 yards out? Blitzing LB but no one covers the RB in the flat, cover zero blitz with 5 yard cushions. Other than McCourty & Gilmore, the Patriots are a group of Ho hummers but they do a great job of sealing lanes, protecting the edge, making switches on Blitzes.

And they are especially good in the Redzone. That's the important stat in this day & age of NFL football, teams are gonna move the ball between the 20s.

I thought it was interesting that as bad as our defense was, at giving up big plays and total points, we ranked 9th in allowing the most touchdowns last year while in the red zone. I understand that we were in the red zone less last year considering giving up a lot of big plays but still, this is the part of the field where the pats gave up a lot of there points.

They were ranked 24th in this category. I am not sure you can say they were especially good in the Redzone. 

[Rsherman28]

52 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

I am mostly concerned that a kid that long and fast can't get any run on special teams.  If he had "it" he would be active every week even if they had no use for him at CB. 

It is amazing how bad of decisions and clueless Bowles was to giving him playing time over other corners who won't be on the team the following year.

1. Justin Burris
2. Buster Skrine
3. Mo Clairborne
4. Rashard Robinson

For ST, he played in the preseason in the gunner role, where most CB end up. That role is easy filled with a safety or CB at the end of the depth chart to fill that role. 

I feel like game changing ST team players are linebackers and safeties. Players like OLB Josh Martin, I remember S Jawan Jarrett was a stud in this role. Maybe MLB Cashman can make an impact this year. 

But honestly, I barley pay attention to ST tackles. Good time to be getting another whiskey or beer. 

[rangerous]

the whole secondary will look that much better if they can get good pressure on the qb. roberts is probably pretty close to claiborne in terms of ability.

[jetstream23]

2 hours ago, Rsherman28 said:

You are right, if it is a depth move and Jones gets a fair shot to compete, then it shouldn't be a problem. 

I am also hoping what ever GM we bring in, makes one big splash in the trade market before the season starts. The need on OL/CB should prompt us to at least see whats out there 

I'm not sure if it will be a "big splash" per se.  But, I definitely see a new GM making some moves once he arrives.  He won't stand still....he can't really stand still and basically give the impression that, "everything was done perfectly to prepare for this season so I don't need to make any roster moves."  With that said, I see some minor moves.  For positions where the Jets continue to be weak or need depth (OL and CB as you stated) we'll either see a trade or we'll see some additions following cuts by other teams.  The question will really come down to whether another team's 5th CB that gets cut is better than the Jets 5th CB on the depth chart.  I think the new GM will have to have a list of targets, teams that he knows are deep at Center, Guard, Tackle, CB, etc. and then keep an eye on them for cuts.

[Tony MaC]

Roberts has had his moments, he's okay and on a contract that's only slightly more than he's worth I think (6 million a year isn't erroneous). I feel quite a ways better with him at CB than I do Harrison at Center I think.